When Najib al-Fatl was arrested in the aftermath of Bahrain’s Arab Spring uprising, his youngest son Nidal was just a toddler.
When Mr Fatier left prison last month on a bus filled with prisoners released under a royal pardon, he was greeted by Nidal, a teenager. Mr. Fatel, a 49-year-old human rights activist, embraced his son and was stunned to find that his life had changed forever.
“It was an indescribable moment,” he said, “the first hug after freedom.”
After more than a decade in prison, Mr. Fatel was released in April through a mass pardon that included more than 1,500 prisoners since the rule of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa in 1999. The largest pardon since.
The government media office would not say how many people remain behind bars in the Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain.but Bahrain College Rights and Democracy, a human rights group run by Bahraini exiles, estimated that the pardon freed more than half of the country’s prisoners, including more than 600 political prisoners.
Many of them, including Mr Fatier, were jailed after joining democratic protest In 2011, this uprising turned into a long-term uprising and was suppressed by the autocratic monarchy. An important ally of the United Stateswith the help of neighboring armies.
The Bahraini government described the pardon as an act of mercy on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the King’s accession to the throne, saying the move was to “maintain the cohesion and stability of Bahraini society.” The statement said those pardoned were convicted in “riots and criminal cases” and Bahraini officials denied holding any prisoners for political reasons.
But Bahraini human rights activists said the pardon, while welcome, was incomplete and called for the release of several opposition leaders who remain imprisoned. Two weeks ago, the death of a Bahraini prisoner in his 30s sparked protests among prisoners and on the streets.
Anger and grief over the Israeli bombing of Gaza have heightened political tensions in Bahrain and many other Arab countries, gap The relationship between leaders and their citizens has been under the sharpest spotlight in years.
Analysts and activists say even before the war, Bahrain was edge This is because friction between the government and the opposition movement has persisted since the suppression of the pro-democracy uprising. In August, hundreds of prisoners went on a massive hunger strike that lasted for weeks, sparking street protests.
Fatil said he led a group of inmates trying to negotiate with the prison administration over their release after inmate Hussain Khalil Ibrahim collapsed from a heart attack while playing football. negotiated the possibility and considered it unthinkable to remain “as we watched our comrades fall one after another.” Prisoners accuse authorities of chronic neglect of medical care.
government of bahrain explain Mr Ibrahim received regular treatment for high blood pressure and other ailments, it added, adding that it was committed to “providing comprehensive health care to all prisoners”.
In an interview after his release, Fatil said the years he spent in prison were characterized by “oppression, pain and heartbreak.”
Prosecutors accuse him of being a key organizer of the Arab Spring protests that sought to overthrow the government, and Bahraini activists and Western politicians have called for his release for years.initial Sentenced He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and another 10 years in prison for allegedly inciting prison riots.Mr Fatil has denied the charges, calling them “politicized” and said his confession was based on torture.
united nations working group censored His case determined his imprisonment was arbitrary and said the government “failed to establish a legal basis for his detention.” The working group documented allegations that Mr. Fatel was tortured, including beatings and electrocutions.
In its response to the working group, the government said Mr. Fatel was “a member of a terrorist organization” and that allegations of ill-treatment were “unsubstantiated.”
Fatil, who was 38 when he was arrested, spent his 40th birthday in prison and is expected to spend his 50th in prison, separated from his five children.
When he heard last month that he might receive a royal pardon, “it was the happiest news of my life,” he said.
Hamed Al-Mahfouz, 41, who was freed under the amnesty, said he felt conflicted when he learned he would be released but others would not.
“I left my brothers behind and I feel sorry for them,” he said. “But it’s nice to see loved ones.”
Mr. Al-Mahfouz was 28 years old at the time of his arrest. Prosecutors accuse him of leading a terrorist organization and communicating with Iranian officials. He said he thought he had provided the court with “conclusive evidence” of his innocence, but he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and had his citizenship revoked.
When news of the royal pardon broke, his wife, Iman Hussein, said she initially lost hope that her husband would be released. She said she started “screaming with joy” when a relative sent her a video of released prisoners, including her husband.Bahraini human rights activist shared video People cheered in the streets as the buses unloaded the prisoners.
While Al Mahfouz is happy to be back home, he said he is unsure of what the future holds and hopes he will be compensated for “the years I lost” and help find a job.
The reintegration program will provide released prisoners with “a range of education and training programmes, employment opportunities and targeted interventions to help them reintegrate into society,” the government said in a statement.
Mr. Fatil said it was difficult to imagine his future.
“I did planning in prison and developed programs and programs for when I got out,” he said. “But when I came out, I was still in disbelief.”
He found that life outside went on without him – he struggled to use a smartphone, and even a fork and spoon seemed novel after years of eating with his hands, he said. He did not know his daughters’ husbands and met his grandchildren who were born while he was in prison. He said he valued pardons but wanted the government to take steps to address the “moral, psychological and material damage” suffered by prisoners.
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy believes that more than 500 political prisoners are still detained, including several prominent Bahraini opposition figures, such as Hassan Mushaima, the former leader of the Haqq Movement for Freedom and Democracy, 76, and dual identity Abdulhadi Al Khawaja. Danish citizen and human rights activist of Bahraini origin.
“These releases are bittersweet because of those who are still being left behind,” said Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the institute’s communications director.
Still, Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, 59, who was himself released from prison in 2020, said it was positive to free so many prisoners.
“The royal pardon gives us hope for a new beginning,” he said.
